Here’s a couple pictures from the Children’s Wish Foundation run.
Click the thumbnails for bigger pics and more information!
Nice photos, but I’m trying to understand your caption: "Westbound on the original mainline, now the South track used by Eastbounds" Am I to assume there is another track somewhere in the valley that is used for eastbound trains?
Just so. The original line from Lake Louise up to the Continental Divide at Stephen stayed along the valley floor until climbing at 1.8% for the final few miles to the summit. Through the 1970s/1980s CPR had a major program to eliminate the four locations where the grade was over 1% against westbound trains through the mountains. The biggest challenge was in the Rogers Pass, which required a 9 mile tunnel. In all four locations the original line was retained, giving lengthy stretches of double track. The new track is behind and about the same level as the photographer, and on the opposite side of the Trans-Canada Highway. Look on Google Earth and you will see both alignments (maybe the “streetview” might have captured a train).
While mostly the new tracks are used by westbounds, and the original line by eastbounds, both are signalled for bi-directional running. Obviously a heavy westbound must use the new line but that is the only limitation. In case you are wondering, the four grade reduction projects were (east to west):
-
Lake Louise - Stephen
-
Rogers - Ross Peak (Rogers Pass)
-
Revelstoke - Clanwilliam (Eagle Pass)
-
Tappen - Notch Hill
Although the ruling grade for westbound trains from the Prairies to the Pacific coast is now about 1%, eastbound trains face various grades of up to 2.2%. Fortunately the very heavy bulk trains are returning empty, nor are the intermodal trains so massively heavy. As a result there is not the same pressure to reduce those grades. I am not sure if it is even feasible in some areas, short of competing with the Swiss
Just so. The original line from Lake Louise up to the Continental Divide at Stephen stayed along the valley floor until climbing at 1.8% for the final few miles to the summit. Through the 1970s/1980s CPR had a major program to eliminate the four locations where the grade was over 1% against westbound trains through the mountains. The biggest challenge was in the Rogers Pass, which required a 9 mile tunnel. In all four locations the original line was retained, giving lengthy stretches of double track. The new track is behind and about the same level as the photographer, and on the opposite side of the Trans-Canada Highway. Look on Google Earth and you will see both alignments (maybe the “streetview” might have captured a train).
While mostly the new tracks are used by westbounds, and the original line by eastbounds, both are signalled for bi-directional running. Obviously a heavy westbound must use the new line but that is the only limitation. In case you are wondering, the four grade reduction projects were (east to west):
-
Lake Louise - Stephen
-
Rogers - Ross Peak (Rogers Pass)
-
Revelstoke - Clanwilliam (Eagle Pass)
-
Tappen - Notch Hill
Although the ruling grade for westbound trains from the Prairies to the Pacific coast is now about 1%, eastbound trains face various grades of up to 2.2%. Fortunately the very heavy bulk trains are returning empty, nor are the intermodal trains so massively heavy. As a result there is not the same pressure to reduce those grades. I am not sure if it is even feasible in some areas, short of competing with the Swiss
Quite right, cx500. It’s hard to imagine routes up the west slopes of many mountain ranges, I’d imagine in many cases they would need to be high on hillsides and very expensive to build, and in addition, extremely long due to the many curves they would need to loop the track around valleys and such.
Just went to google maps, not enough detail to see the terrain, It’s single track East of Field, past Wapta Lk., just past Sink Lk. it doubles, through Summit Lk. then single at the B.C./Alta. border, passes under the TCH and double tracks to just before the Post Hotel in L.L. then single (I believe) to Banff.
There is some interesting track just East of Field around Whispering Woods Lane, on both sides of the highway, What track is that? (I assume this was misinterpreted by google maps) or is it old railway cut lines? ( or they are old roads) I must get out some old maps to see if they show up.
I didn’t find the “Whispering Woods Lane”, but I suspect what you were looking at is the railway alignment at the Spiral Tunnels. Essentially they create the equivalent of a switchback, except the train uses a tunnel at each end to reverse direction instead of backing down the middle portion. Both tunnels are something like 3/4 mile in length, on a 10 degree curve.
A debris flow is sometimes triggered by a glacial lake high up on Cathedral Crags, and this has been know to block the railway on all three levels (as well as the highway). Some of the highway is on the original 4.4% grade, eliminated when the Spiral Tunnels were finished in 1909.
The lower spiral was often used for publicity pictures, with the locomotive emerging from the lower portal with the rear portion of the train crossing over top. Since it required the train to be something like 85 cars long, in earlier days it was often posed with the train split. Trees are now interfering with that photo location.
The “Field Hill”, as it is known, is just one of the locations where trying to reduce the eastbound grade to 1% would be difficult, to put it mildly. Fortunately the greatest need for grade reductions is for westbound traffic, as I indicated in the earlier post.
John
Spot on, I found some old aerial photos of the area and that’s exactly what those tracks are, It’s been a while since I was in the area and I thought the tunnels were WEST of Field, now I’m looking for the tracks up to the Chateau Lake Louise when they ran a car up there from the station, what an attraction that would be today, but then again, the C.P.R. eh?
thanks
Oh, I found the Whispering Woods Lane. It actually is the original rail alignment. It runs from where the highway takes off on a completely new (and steeper) alignment and ties into the present tracks at the west end. The original highway through the pass used more of the alignment.
The narrow gauge tram line up to Lake Louise is clearly visible as a cut line in the trees up by the lake, just east (or south) of the road. It is used as a footpath, and cross-country ski trail in the winter. Lower down in the low resolution portion Google shows a faint line denoting a trail. It crossed the Moraine lake Road just up from the intersection, and then reversed direction with a very tight curve to head down towards the railway station.
We seem to have thread drift!
John
Thanks for the info, yes, we are drifting slightly, but still in the same area and still on trains, I have no qualms about drifting unless the subject resorts to Aunt Matilda’s cat.